Physics in the News: The Deepwater Horizon Disaster

摘要

On April 20, 2010, there were explosions and fire on the drilling "ship" the Deepwater Horizon, which was drilling for petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico about 70 kilometers south of the Louisiana coast. The spectacular fires ultimately caused the Deepwater Horizon to sink on April 22. There were 126 people on the ship before the fire. After the sinking, 11 people were missing and presumed dead. After the ship sank, several hundred cubic meters of petroleum began to emerge each day from the broken under-water piping on the sea floor. The petroleum rose to the surface, where the winds caused it to drift toward the shores of the Gulf. The oil slick is a great threat to the coastal ecosystems. "President Obama... called the scene unfolding in the Gulf a 'massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.'"1 Not only is this an environmental disaster, it is a big setback for deepOvater drilling for petroleum and for our nation's efforts to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.